1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to improving the rigidity of vehicle body panels, particularly fender or wing panels where they abut lamp clusters at the front or rear of a car or other vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
Perceived quality is a crucial aspect of customer satisfaction. In the vehicle industry, a major factor in perceived quality is the rigidity of body panels. Customers are dissatisfied with body panels that deflect too readily under applied pressure, for example when washing their car.
Whilst vehicle body panels can be thickened or made of more rigid materials to address this problem, this solution is impractical as it adds needlessly to cost and weight. This applies especially where the panel, or a particularly deflection-prone part of the panel, has no load-bearing function. The alternative of shaping the panel for stiffness is not usually an option because it compromises styling freedom.
The problem of excessive panel deflection is particularly acute where fender or wing panels abut lamp clusters at the front or rear of a vehicle. Here, the flexibility of the panel contrasts very noticeably with the rigid—and rigidly-mounted—lamp clusters. Indeed, when the edge of the panel is pushed in against its resilience, the abutting edge of the lamp cluster provides a datum against which the extent of panel deflection can be judged.
Typically, fender or wing panels define an abutting edge that is shaped to fit closely against an abutting part of a lamp cluster without excessive gaps. More specifically, a leading edge of a front fender or wing panel abuts a headlamp cluster, and a trailing edge of a rear fender or wing panel abuts a rear lamp cluster. That abutting edge is generally upright, although rarely either straight or vertical.
The central region of the abutting edge is typically unsupported and less stiff than near its upper and lower ends which may be supported, of thicker material and of stiffer shape. The central region of the abutting edge is therefore particularly vulnerable to excessive panel deflection.
With the increasing popularity of tall cars such as off-roaders, lamp clusters have tended to become taller. It follows that the abutting edge of an adjacent fender or wing panel becomes longer, which increases the problem of excessive panel deflection at the central region of that edge.
Locally stiffening the fender or wing panel to alleviate the problem of excessive panel deflection is difficult without compromising the manufacture or maintenance of a vehicle, especially operations involving the installation, assembly, removal and replacement of lamp clusters or panels. There is a need for a low-cost, simple-to-implement solution to this problem, which does not adversely affect either the manufacture or maintenance of a vehicle.